British Muslims guilty of planning ‘another 7/7’ rucksack bomb blitz

THREE British Muslims were found guilty yesterday of planning suicide attacks to rival the atrocities of 9/11 and 7/7.

Irfan Khalid and Irfan Naseer were found guilty of being central figures in the bomb plot

Irfan Naseer, 31, Irfan Khalid, 27, and Ashik Ali, 27, were “central figures” in an Al Qaeda-backed plot to set off up to eight rucksack bombs in crowded shopping centres and railway stations.

Police described the men, all from Birmingham, as “committed, passionate extremists”.

Their exact targets are still unclear but police believe it was the most significant terrorist plot to be uncovered since the 2006 conspiracy to blow up transatlantic airliners using bombs disguised as soft drinks.

The three, who called themselves the Four Lions after the black comedy film about four incompetent jihadists, only failed because of their own bungling.

The group, who made videos to be played after they had blown themselves up, set up a sophisticated fraud by pretending to be Muslim Aid charity street collectors, duping legitimate supporters and at least one mosque into giving them thousands of pounds.

Ashik Ali from Birmingham was also found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court

The defendants were proposing to detonate up to eight rucksack bombs in a suicide attack and/or to detonate bombs on timers in crowded areas in order to cause mass deaths and casualties.

Brian Altman QC

However, they then lost £9,000 by making catastrophic investments, tried to secure huge loans to compensate and failed to destroy evidence at their Midlands safe house.

Khalid boasted that the attack was “another 9/11” and “revenge for everything”.

Warning the trio that they face life imprisonment when they are sentenced later, Mr Justice Henriques said: “You were seeking to recruit a team of suicide bombers to carry out a spectacular bombing campaign, one which would create an anniversary along the lines of 7/7 or 9/11.” Police said the plotters had the means, will and know-how to carry out mass murder in the biggest terror attack on the British mainland in a generation.

Naseer was found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court in south London of five counts of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. Khalid was found guilty on four counts and Ali three, all between Christmas Day 2010 and September 19, 2011.

A clock timer was found at the men's safe house

They included planning a bombing campaign, collecting money for terrorism and recruiting others for terrorism. Naseer and Khalid travelled to Pakistan for training and Naseer helped others travel there for the same purpose.

Prosecutor Brian Altman QC told the jury: “The police successfully disrupted a plan to commit an act or acts of terrorism on a scale potentially greater than the London bombings in July 2005.

“The defendants were proposing to detonate up to eight rucksack bombs in a suicide attack and/or to detonate bombs on timers in crowded areas in order to cause mass deaths and casualties.”

In surveillance recordings, Naseer was heard talking about the possibility of mixing poison into creams such as Vaseline or Nivea and smearing them on car handles.

Charity collecting tins and a carrier bag of coins found at safe house

The trio even pondered welding blades to a truck and driving it into a crowd. The security services recorded them laughing and joking about their plans and how they did not need to worry about their car’s MOT because they would be dead by the time it expired.

Six other men, Rahin Ahmed 26, Mujahid Hussain, 21, Naweed Ali, 25, Ishaaq Hussain, 21, Khobaib Hussain, 22 and Shahid Khan, 21, have admitted or been found guilty of being part of the terror cell.

Karen Jones, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The potential for loss of life from their plot should not be under-estimated. Had they not been stopped the consequences would have been catastrophic.”